Economics

The BA in economics is designed primarily for students who want a liberal arts education with an emphasis on economics. This program is excellent preparation for graduate study in economics, law, or public administration because it permits students to take courses in related areas, including social sciences, history, and math. Graduates in the BA in economics teacher education program are certified to teach middle and high school social studies.
» Economics, BA

The BS in economics offers more specialized training in economics and related business fields such as accounting, finance, management, and marketing. Students are required to take at least eight-course units in these business areas. It provides a firm basis for employment or graduate study in business. In addition to the principles and intermediate courses in macroeconomics and microeconomics, students benefit from classes with computer applications (e.g., labor, health care, environment, economic development, banking, financial institutions, international trade, and international finance). A senior-year thesis is required.
» Economics, BS

Check Sheets and Suggested Four-Year Sequences

All economics majors complete a senior thesis capstone as the culminating experience of their degree program. Not only does writing a thesis synthesize the skills and knowledge developed over a college career, but producing original research on an important economic topic demonstrates an ability to integrate and analyze disparate sources of economic data to reach original, independent conclusions. And that adds value to your employment portfolio.

Your senior thesis is also an opportunity to practice the presentation and networking skills essential to a business career. Economics majors often present their senior theses before peers from colleges and universities in the tri-state region as well as at national forums, including the Omicron Delta Epsilon Undergraduate Business and Economics Conference at Ursinus College.
» Learn more about the senior thesis capstone.

The economics industry involves continuous change and the development of economic theories, especially in aggregate analysis. Faculty research interests include:

• behavioral economics
• development economics
• economic growth
• economic history
• economics of land use
• economics of law
• economics of public goods
• economics of religion
• economics of transition
• environmental and natural resource economics
• gender issues in economics
• health economics
• inflation
• international economic analysis

Economics graduates pursue rewarding careers in:

• banking and finance (loan officer, stockbroker, commodities broker, financial analyst, security analyst)
• business administration (management trainee, forecaster, market analyst, labor relations specialist, sales manager, logistics coordinator, buyer, systems analyst)
• economics reporting for international organizations (World Bank, International Monetary Fund)
• government at local, state, or federal levels (budget analyst, urban planning administrator, forecaster, consultant, foreign service officer)
• insurance( benefit analyst,claims adjuster, underwriter, actuary)
• teaching/consulting

Bloomberg, Morgan Stanley, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, JPMorganChase, Northwest Mutual, and Prudential Insurance have all hired recent TCNJ graduates. Our students have also been admitted to some of the best graduate business schools, law schools, and graduate economics programs.

Top Employers: Morgan Stanley, Prudential, JPMorganChase, and CBIZ
The American Economic Association provides useful information on career and graduate school pathways for undergraduates studying economics.

Students learn outside of the classroom through various opportunities ranging from the College Fed Challenge to internships, national and regional conferences, and stock market games. Economics students take on leadership roles in the Economics Club and other student organizations and may also be invited to membership in Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international economics honor society.

Our location along the powerhouse northeast corridor opens internship opportunities for our students at global firms such as Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, and Coface. Our proximity to leading business and thought centers in economics — Princeton, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, DC — gives students exceptional access to meet and learn from guest speakers and panelists, including some of the most influential economists in the world.

• Some Free Online Textbooks and Practice Problems for Introductory Economics
• School of Business Student Organizations
• School of Business Honor Societies 
• Economics Career Resources
• Research Resources

Since 2001, 36 percent of TCNJ economics majors have continued their studies at the graduate level, earning acceptance at prestigious universities across the nation. The most common choice is law, with graduates accepted locally (Rutgers–Newark, Rutgers–Camden, Seton Hall) and nationally ranked law schools (Duke, Virginia, Michigan, Penn, Washington University).

Our economics graduates also enroll in MBA, PhD, and MA programs. MBA candidates have pursued both standard and dual-degree programs at schools, including New York University, Temple, and Pittsburgh. PhD candidates generally choose to study economics, although graduates have pursued fields as diverse as mathematics. For their master’s degrees, graduates have enrolled in public policy, economics, and human resources programs at Georgetown, Villanova, Boston University, and Rutgers’ Bloustein School.

Economics majors have also pursued medical school through the TCNJ seven-year medical program or the traditional route, as well as dental school.

• Daniel R. Hall Award
• Daniel R. Hall Social Justice Scholarship
• Dean Thomas P. Breslin Memorial Fund